Balance of Friday's column

The first good striper jigging catch was reported Tuesday by Capt. Rob Semkewyc on the Sea Hunter from Atlantic Highlands. After clamming started slowly, he went looking for working birds – and those he found were over big bass and blues. Some anglers limited on bass, and Howard Dicicco of Plainfield weighed stripers of 16 and 25.4 pounds.

Also at Atlantic Highlands, Capt. Ron Santee made a shot move Monday that resulted in a big clamming catch topped by Jack Velchec's 25 ½-pounder that took the lead in the Fall Big Fish Pool.

Capt. Tom Buban has switched his Atlantic Star from half-days to bottom fishing for porgies and the one blackfish presently allowed from 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Canyon tuna are still very much in the picture. Capt. Howard Bogan Jr. reported the Tuesday to Wednesday trip of his Jamaica from Brielle produced 30 dolphin up to 10 pounds from 69-to-70-degree waters before three albacore up to 65 pounds were drifted. Anchoring provided a pick of yellowfins and albacore plus three legal swordfish along with the releases of three short makos before a hot bite developed at 10 p.m. Mike Havecost of Wall had his three yellowfin limit plus a few dolphin, and released a small mako and sword. Silvio Marselle from North Plainfield boated two tuna, a sword and a dolphin. Bogan noted that both bait and jigs worked when dropped down to 110 to 140 feet, with sardines and butterfish proving more effective than the live squid which were abundant that night. He has room on canyon trips sailing at 5 p.m. today, tomorrow and Sunday. Call 732 528-5014 for reservations.

Capt. Dave Riback had a boat limit of bluefish from 4 to 11 pounds on his Queen Mary from Point Pleasant on Tuesday, and returned early to add a couple of stripers on the half-hour trip back.

Tony DeGennaro of Wall reports that "Grandma" Maryann DeGennaro put the regulars to shame Sunday at Normandy Beach by landing a 16-pound striper on clam.

Capt. Jack Shea usually runs north from Barnegat Light with his Rambunctious out of Waretown, but on Tuesday looked to the south, which resulted in missing what he heard described as an "epic" big bass bite. Returning to the inlet, he tired of having mall blues chop off expensive spot, and switched to drifting clams as Rack n' Fin Radio's Tom Paglioroli cleared out the skates so his fiancée, Denise MarieTheiler, could boat a16-pound striper. They also released a couple of short bass.

Paglioroli received a report from Chestnut Neck Boat Yard in Port Republic of a 43.6-pound striper that was caught on an eel in the Mullica River by Paul Acker, who fishes out of Mott's Creek. Tomorrow's Rack n' Fin program from 8- 9a.m. on ESPN 97.3 FM includes an interview with Tony Bogan about the economic effects of sea bass closures.

Clamming for stripers has been up-and-down. Capt. Joe Massa anchored his My Three Sons from Morgan Marina on a clam bed off Sandy Hook in Sunday morning's 25-to-30-mph south wind as Bob Correll of Bay Head and I joined him in catching three bass in the30-inch class plus three shorts among lots of skates. A brief move to Shrewsbury Rocks produced only a few blackfish up to 15 inches, but more action with porgies as the boat was swinging too much.

Gene Graman of Middletown had good striper fishing on eels in the channels from his That's It out of Twin Lights Marina in Highlands a week ago, but Ambrose Channel was dead for us Tuesday when I joined him plus Fred Fessel of Middletown and Craig Little from Flemington. There were hits on eels in Sandy Hook Channel, but they were hard to hook – which was explained when only one of the four caught turned out to be a keeper.

The Mud Hole school bluefin tuna fishery remains a possibility, though it wasn't good Tuesday. Capt. Russ Binns never had a hit trolling or chunking from his Mar-Lin out of Toms River, but a friend trolled a 20-pounder on a feather – and another boater on the VHF claimed he had a 40-pound bluefin on a squid spreader bar.

Capt. Dave DeGennaro ran out there that day from Barnegat with his Hi-Flier, and found clear 63 degree waters but caught only one little tunny on the troll and nothing chumming. Running back inshore, be found the bunker schools though they only had gator blues on them in the afternoon.

The Tackle Box in Hazlet weighed a 28 ¾-pound striper caught on a live eel off Sandy Hook by Justin Flikkema of the Asbury Park Fishing Club. Kurt Wiedlitz of Flemington boated a13-pound blue on an Ava diamond jig at the Mud Buoy.

Glen Taylor of Mt. Holly continues to lead the LBI Fishing Classic with a 41.56-pound striper taken Oct. 8 on bunker at Barnegat Light. Alyse Droge of Beach Haven Gardens took over third place with a 29.25-pound bass last Friday that was also landed on bunker at Barnegat Light – and leads for the woman's prize.